It was in 1998 that Matthew Shepard, 21, who was gay, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die, which he did three days later. The hate crime that made international headlines. The life of his mother, Judy Shepard, changed forever. She went from Wyoming housewife and mother to international activist who, with her husband, Dennis, established the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Its mission: to combat hate and bigotry through funding diversity and youth programs.

Dan Cobb isn't the only one focused on pocket-book issues as the race for the White House heats up. The entire investment community is, too. The big reason is that stocks are down sharply in 2008. Thursday, the Standard & Poor's 500 index sank to its lowest since September 2006, leaving it down 11.2% for the year.

Democrat John Edwards' presidential campaign ended in the same ravaged city where it began Wednesday, as the 2004 vice presidential nominee suspended his effort to win the White House by tapping into the angst of the poor and middle class

Sen. Barack Obama swept to victory in the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, pushing Hillary Rodham Clinton to third place and taking a major stride in a historic bid to become the nation's first black president. Mike Huckabee rode a wave of support from evangelical Christians to win the opening round among Republicans in the 2008 campaign for the White House.

Sen. Barack Obama swept to victory in the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, pushing Hillary Rodham Clinton to third place and taking a major stride in a historic bid to become the nation's first black president. Mike Huckabee rode a wave of support from evangelical Christians to win the opening round among Republicans in the 2008 campaign for the White House.